Earlier this week, just before Halloween, the Brooklyn dream-pop band Au Revoir Simone—Heather D’Angelo, Annie Hart, and Erika Forster all of whom play keyboard and sing—found themselves in a strange town without costumes. They were in Chicago to play a show and wanted to get some clothes to wear onstage too, so I took them on a thrifting expedition to Village Discount in Logan Square. Naturally, the store was packed with other last-minute Halloween shoppers, but we found some real gems tucked in among the gnarliness. For instance, Erika found these matching Halloween-themed turtlenecks for the group.

Immediately after Heather and Erika put these bedazzled, bejeweled berets on their heads, someone said the word lice and the hats were ripped off and thrown to the ground.

Erika has a side gig as a stylist and works at a vintage shop, so she is a veteran picker. On this day she was looking for stage clothes for the whole band. She had no specific Halloween ideas in mind—she said she was gonna wait and see if inspiration struck. She ended up combining fairy wings, a leotard, a neon scarf (worn as a headwrap), and candy-corn-patterned leggings for a look that she called “kind of Sparklemotion, kind of Burning Man.”

Maximum neon.

Erika: “The trick I have learned from thrifting and sample sales is to wear tights and learn how to change under your clothes.”

This sequined butterfly top was a real score.

We were all absolutely baffled that Erika did not end up getting these boots.

Annie was going as the beloved TV painting instructor Bob Ross, so she needed one curly wig for her head and another for chest hair.

Annie checking out the detailing on a scraggily handmade Pocahontas costume.

Heather was looking for a Captain Hook costume, as she was scheduled to take a tiny Peter Pan trick-or-treating on the 31st.

At one point Heather disappeared, and we found her in the corner reading this scandalous novel.

Annie shows off her handy phone-tucked-in-the-tutu look.

Annie’s Bob Ross costume was really coming together.

Our cart full of costumes, pumpkin patterns, and cool looks, we made our way to the register feeling like winners.

Brown Elephant in Lakeview and another in Andersonville, Village Discount in Irving Park, Salvation Army on Broadway, one on Grand (this one has a rad 80′s prom dress section on the main floor), another in Lincoln Park, and if you really like 90′s-80′s stuff you have to try the 4th floor of Belmont Army at Belmont and Clark. (Belmont army also has a super cool skate shop and shoe store. the first floor is WAY too expensive. Think $300 tank tops) Hope this helped!http://rhinestonemoon.blogspot.com/

Yoo-hoo! August’s theme is GIVE AND TAKE, and we’d like to take into consideration whatever submissions you have to give about that! (Even/especially if they’re as cheesy as we just were.) Send pitches to submission@rookiemag.com. ✴

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